User scene and schedule creation based on time of the year

ABSTRACT

A controller and method for a premises system are provided. The controller includes processing circuitry configured to: receive a plurality of system setting groups for controlling a plurality of premises devices where each system setting group including at least one respective device setting for each of the plurality of premises devices, determine at least one setting characteristic, the at least one setting characteristic including a calendar date, and select one of the plurality of system settings groups for controlling the plurality of premises devices based on the determined at least one setting characteristic. The controller includes a transceiver configured to transmit a control signal to each of the plurality of premises devices to control the plurality of premises devices according to the selected one of the plurality of system setting groups.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is related to and claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 62/543628, filed Aug. 10, 2017, entitledUSER SCENE AND SCHEDULE CREATION BASED ON TIME OF THE YEAR, the entiretyof which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to a method, system and controller for premisesbased systems, and in particular to controlling premises devices in apremises based system.

BACKGROUND

Popularity of premises systems continues to grow at a rapid pace. Thesepremises systems provide security and/or home automation services to apremises such as a home or building. In these existing systems, heating,ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems within the premises canbe controlled by the premises system. For example, an end user can inputa predefined “scene” or daily schedule for controlling the HVAC systemin which a controller of the premises system will operate the HVACsystem according to the user defined schedule. Manual modification of adaily operating schedule is required if a user wants to change operatingparameters. For example, turning on the air conditioning in the summermonths and the heat in the winter months requires the user to manuallymodify the daily schedule.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments advantageously provide a method and controller forcontrolling premises devices in a premises based system.

According to one aspect of the invention, a controller for a premisessystem is provided. The controller includes processing circuitryconfigured to: receive a plurality of system setting groups forcontrolling a plurality of premises devices where each system settinggroup including at least one respective device setting for each of theplurality of premises devices, determine at least one settingcharacteristic, the at least one setting characteristic including acalendar date, and select one of the plurality of system settings groupsfor controlling the plurality of premises devices based on thedetermined at least one setting characteristic. The controller includesa transceiver configured to transmit a control signal to each of theplurality of premises devices to control the plurality of premisesdevices according to the selected one of the plurality of system settinggroups.

According to one embodiment of this aspect, the determined at least onesetting characteristic includes a geographical location of thecontroller, the selected one of the plurality of system setting groupsbeing based on the determined geographical location of the controller.According to one embodiment of this aspect, a first system settingsgroup of the plurality of system setting groups for controlling theplurality of premises devices includes a first monthly temperaturesetting for at least one the plurality of premises devices, and a secondsystem settings group of the plurality of system settings groups forcontrolling the plurality of premises devices includes a second monthlytemperature setting for at least one of the plurality of premisesdevices where the second monthly temperature setting being differentfrom the first monthly temperature setting.

According to one embodiment of this aspect, each of the plurality ofsystem setting groups correspond to a respective seasonal setting.According to one embodiment of this aspect, the determined at least onesetting characteristic includes a geographical location of thecontroller, a weather forecast associated with the determinedgeographical location and the calendar date during which a season is tobegin, and the selected one of the plurality of system setting groupsbeing based on the determined geographical location of the controller,the weather forecast associated with the determined geographicallocation and the calendar date during which the season is to begin.

According to one embodiment of this aspect, the selected one of theplurality of system setting groups includes at least one device settingfor a heating and air condition (HVAC) system and at least one devicesetting for ceiling fan at the premises. According to one embodiment ofthis aspect, the selected one of the plurality of system setting groupsincludes at least one device setting for a heating and air condition(HVAC) system and at least one device setting for at least one homeautomation device. According to one embodiment of this aspect, theselected one of the plurality of system setting groups includes at leastone device setting for an appliance at the premises and at least onedevice setting for at least one light fixture at the premises. Accordingto one embodiment of this aspect, the processing circuitry is furtherconfigured to receive weather forecast data, the selected one of theplurality of system setting groups being based on the received weatherforecast data.

A method for a controller for a premises system is provided. A pluralityof system setting groups for controlling a plurality of premises devicesare received. Each system setting group including at least onerespective device setting for each of the plurality of premises devices.At least one setting characteristic is determined where the at least onesetting characteristic including a calendar date. One of the pluralityof system settings groups for controlling the plurality of premisesdevices is selected based on the determined at least one settingcharacteristic. A control signal is transmitted to each of the pluralityof premises devices to control the plurality of premises devicesaccording to the selected one of the plurality of system setting groups.

According to one embodiment of this aspect, the determined at least onesetting characteristic includes a geographical location of thecontroller, the selected one of the plurality of system setting groupsbeing based on the determined geographical location of the controller.According to one embodiment of this aspect, a first system settingsgroup of the plurality of system setting groups for controlling theplurality of premises devices includes a first monthly temperaturesetting for at least one the plurality of premises devices, and a secondsystem settings group of the plurality of system settings groups forcontrolling the plurality of premises devices includes a second monthlytemperature setting for at least one of the plurality of premisesdevices, the second monthly temperature setting being different from thefirst monthly temperature setting.

According to one embodiment of this aspect, each of the plurality ofsystem setting groups correspond to a respective seasonal setting.According to one embodiment of this aspect, the determined at least onesetting characteristic includes a geographical location of thecontroller, a weather forecast associated with the determinedgeographical location and the calendar date during which a season is tobegin. The selected one of the plurality of system setting groups isbased on the determined geographical location of the controller, theweather forecast associated with the determined geographical locationand the calendar date during which the season is to begin.

According to one embodiment of this aspect, the selected one of theplurality of system setting groups includes at least one device settingfor a heating and air condition (HVAC) system and at least one devicesetting for ceiling fan at the premises. According to one embodiment ofthis aspect, the selected one of the plurality of system setting groupsincludes at least one device setting for a heating and air condition(HVAC) system and at least one device setting for at least one homeautomation device. According to one embodiment of this aspect, theselected one of the plurality of system setting groups includes at leastone device setting for an appliance at the premises and at least onedevice setting for at least one light fixture at the premises. Accordingto one embodiment of this aspect, weather forecast data is receivedwhere the selected one of the plurality of system setting groups beingbased on the received weather forecast data.

According to another aspect of the invention, a controller for apremises system is provided. The controller includes processingcircuitry configured to: receive a plurality of system setting groupsfor controlling a plurality of different types of premises devices whereeach system setting group corresponding to a respective seasonal settingand including at least one respective device setting for each of theplurality of different types of premises devices, determine at least onesetting characteristic where the at least one setting characteristicincluding a calendar date and geographical location of the controller,and select one of the plurality of system settings groups forcontrolling the plurality of different types of premises devices basedon the determined at least one setting characteristic. The controllerincludes a transceiver configured to transmit a control signal to eachof the plurality of different types of premises devices to control theplurality of different types of premises devices according to theselected one of the plurality of system setting groups.

According to one embodiment of this aspect, the processing circuitry isfurther configured to receive weather forecast data, the selected one ofthe plurality of system setting groups being based on the receivedweather forecast data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of embodiments described herein, and theattendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readilyunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example system for controlling premisesdevices in a premises based system in accordance with the principles ofthe invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example controller for communicatingwith and/or controlling a premises device in accordance with theprinciples of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an example setting process in accordancewith the principles of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example interface for input the settingsfor controlling premises device in accordance with the principles of theinvention; and

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of controller inaccordance with the principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention solves the problems with existing systems by configuringthe premises system to select among various predefined settings, e.g.,HVAC settings, access control settings or other system/device settings,based on one or more factors such as location of the premises system andseasonal weather.

Before describing in detail example embodiments that are in accordancewith the disclosure, it is noted that the embodiments reside primarilyin combinations of controller components and processing steps related tocontrolling premises devices in a premises based system. Accordingly,components have been represented where appropriate by conventionalsymbols in drawings, showing only those specific details that arepertinent to understanding the embodiments of the disclosure so as notto obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the descriptionherein.

As used herein, relational terms, such as “first,” “second,” “top” and“bottom,” and the like, may be used solely to distinguish one entity orelement from another entity or element without necessarily requiring orimplying any physical or logical relationship or order between suchentities or elements. The terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescribing particular embodiments only and is not intended to belimiting of the concepts described herein. As used herein, the singularforms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms aswell, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be furtherunderstood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” and/or“including” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features,integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do notpreclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It willbe further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted ashaving a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context ofthis specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted inan idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

In embodiments described herein, the joining term, “in communicationwith” and the like, may be used to indicate electrical or datacommunication, which may be accomplished by physical contact, induction,electromagnetic radiation, radio signaling, infrared signaling oroptical signaling, for example. One having ordinary skill in the artwill appreciate that multiple components may interoperate andmodifications and variations are possible of achieving the electricaland data communication. For simplicity and ease of explanation, theinvention will be described herein in connection with variousembodiments thereof. Those skilled in the art will recognize, however,that the features and advantages of the invention may be implemented ina variety of configurations. It is to be understood, therefore, that theembodiments described herein are presented by way of illustration, notof limitation.

Referring now to drawing figures in which like reference designatorsrefer to like elements there is shown in FIG. 1 is an example system forcontrolling premises devices in a premises based system in accordancewith the principles of the invention and designated generally as “10.”System 10 includes controller 12 in communication with one or morepremises devices 14 a-14 n (collectively referred to herein as premisesdevices 14), which are located or positioned within and/or outside ofpremises 16. Controller 12 includes settings code 18 for performing thesetting process described in detail with respect to FIG. 3. In one ormore embodiments, controller 12 is configured to communicate and/orcontrol one or more premises devices 14 via one or more networks usingone or more communication protocols known in the art such as Ethernet,X10, Z-wave, Zigbee, BLUETOOTH and the like, and communicate withservers 20 a-20 n (collectively referred to herein as servers 20) viaone or more networks using one or more communication protocols as may beknown in the art such as TCP/IP, Wi-Fi, cellular technologies (e.g., 4G,LTE, 5G, etc.) and the like.

Premises devices 14 may be configured to monitor doors, driveway gates,windows, and other openings, or to control lights, appliances, HVACsystems (e.g., temperature, cooling, heating, exhaust fans, etc.),access control, door locks, lawn sprinklers, etc. For example, one ormore premises devices 14 may be used to sense motion and other alarmconditions, such as glass breaking, fire, smoke, temperature, chemicalcompositions, water, carbon monoxide, or other hazardous conditions.Premises device 14 may include video cameras that may be used to detectmotion and/or capture video of events, and or other sensor that are notparticularly limited and may also include any number of health, safety,and lifestyle devices—various medical condition monitors and personalemergency response systems, thermostats, appliance modules, key fobs,keypads, and touch screens, a gateway router, etc. Premises 16 is notlimited to a home and may also be used within a boat, office suite,industrial building, or any other indoor or outdoor area where controlof premises devices 14 is desired. It should be understood that not allof such premises devices 14 may be installed within a given system.Premises device 14 may use a variety of wireless communicationprotocols. For example, premises device 14 may be, may be part of or mayinclude a home automation device, and may use wireless and/or wiredprotocols developed for home automation, like X10, Z-wave and ZigBee,while others use more general wireless protocols such as Wi-Fi andBLUETOOTH.

In one or more embodiments, server 20 may include or be part of at leastone of a central monitoring station server, weather server, governmentserver and other server that transmits data or information to controller12 as described herein.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary controller 12 forcommunicating with and/or controlling premises devices 14 in accordancewith the principles of the invention. Controller 12 includes one or moretransceivers 22 for communicating with one or more premises devices 14and one or more servers 20. In one or more embodiments, one or moretransceiver 22 include one or more communication interfaces and/or arereplace by one or more transmitters and/or receivers.

Controller 12 includes processing circuitry 24. In some embodiments,processing circuitry 24 may include a processor 26 and memory 28, memory28 containing instructions which, when executed by processor 26,configure processor 26 to perform the one or more functions describedherein such as the process described with respect to FIG. 3. In additionto a traditional processor and memory, control processing circuitry 24may include integrated circuitry for processing and/or control, e.g.,one or more processors and/or processor cores and/or FPGAs (FieldProgrammable Gate Array) and/or ASICs (Application Specific IntegratedCircuitry).

Processing circuitry 24 may comprise and/or be connected to and/or beconfigured for accessing (e.g., writing to and/or reading from) memory28, which may include any kind of volatile and/or non-volatile memory,e.g., cache and/or buffer memory and/or RAM (Random Access Memory)and/or ROM (Read-Only Memory) and/or optical memory and/or EPROM(Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). Such memory 28 may beconfigured to store code executable by circuitry and/or other data,e.g., weather data, settings data, etc. Processing circuitry 24 may beconfigured to control any of the methods described herein and/or tocause such methods to be performed, e.g., by processor 26.

Corresponding instructions may be stored in memory 28, which may bereadable and/or readably connected to the processing circuitry 24. Inother words, processing circuitry 24 may include a controller, which maycomprise a microprocessor and/or microcontroller and/or FPGA(Field-Programmable Gate Array) device and/or ASIC (Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit) device. It may be considered that processingcircuitry 24 includes or may be connected or connectable to memory,which may be configured to be accessible for reading and/or writing bythe controller and/or processing circuitry 24. Memory 28 is configuredto store settings code 18 for performing the settings process describedin detail with respect to FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary setting process such as maybeperformed by processor 26 when executing settings code 18 in accordancewith the principles of the invention. Processing circuitry 24 isconfigured to receive a plurality of system setting groups forcontrolling a plurality of premises devices 14 where each system settinggroup may include at least one respective device setting for each of theplurality of premises devices 14 (Block S100). Processing circuitry 24is configured to determine at least one setting characteristic where theat least one setting characteristic includes a calendar date (BlockS102).

Processing circuitry 24 is configured to select one of the plurality ofsystem settings groups for controlling the plurality of premises devices14 based on the determined at least one setting characteristic (BlockS104). Processing circuitry 24 such as via transceiver 22 is configuredto transmit a control signal to each of the plurality of premisesdevices to control the plurality of premises devices according to theselected one of the plurality of system setting groups (Block S106).

According to one embodiment of this aspect, the determined at least onesetting characteristic includes a geographical location of thecontroller 12, the selected one of the plurality of system settinggroups being based on the determined geographical location of thecontroller 12. According to one embodiment of this aspect, a firstsystem settings group of the plurality of system setting groups forcontrolling the plurality of premises devices 14 includes a firstmonthly temperature setting for at least one the plurality of premisesdevices 14, and a second system settings group of the plurality ofsystem settings groups for controlling the plurality of premises devices14 includes a second monthly temperature setting for at least one of theplurality of premises devices 14 where the second monthly temperaturesetting being different from the first monthly temperature setting.

According to one embodiment of this aspect, each of the plurality ofsystem setting groups correspond to a respective seasonal setting.According to one embodiment of this aspect, the determined at least onesetting characteristic includes a geographical location of thecontroller, a weather forecast associated with the determinedgeographical location and the calendar date during which a season is tobegin, and the selected one of the plurality of system setting groupsbeing based on the determined geographical location of the controller,the weather forecast associated with the determined geographicallocation and the calendar date during which the season is to begin.

According to one embodiment of this aspect, the selected one of theplurality of system setting groups includes at least one device settingfor a heating and air condition (HVAC) system and at least one devicesetting for ceiling fan at the premises. According to one embodiment ofthis aspect, the selected one of the plurality of system setting groupsincludes at least one device setting for a heating and air condition(HVAC) system and at least one device setting for at least one homeautomation device. According to one embodiment of this aspect, theselected one of the plurality of system setting groups includes at leastone device setting for an appliance at the premises and at least onedevice setting for at least one light fixture at the premises. Accordingto one embodiment of this aspect, the processing circuitry is furtherconfigured to receive weather forecast data, the selected one of theplurality of system setting groups being based on the received weatherforecast data.

In one or more embodiments, processing circuitry 24 is configured toreceive a first group, i.e., group of system settings, of at least onedevice setting for controlling a premises device 14. In one or moreembodiments, the first group of at least one device setting is receivedfrom a user via a user device and/or server 20. In one or moreembodiments, the first group of at least one device setting includesvarious device settings for at least one premises device 14 in whicheach device setting corresponds to one or more setting characteristics.

For example, the first group of at least one device setting may includevarious device settings for a heating, ventilation and air conditioning(HVAC) premises devices 14 that are part of a HVAC system. The at leastone device setting, e.g., operational settings, for the HVAC premisesdevices 14 may each correspond to one or more setting characteristicsthat are dynamically determined and/or received by controller 12 forselecting among the groups of at least one device setting as discussedherein. In one or more embodiments, the one or more settingcharacteristics includes a location of controller 12, one or morecalendar dates, other weather data such as forecast information, datarelated to annual seasons, among other data that controller 12 mayreceive from server 20 for allowing controller 12 to dynamically selectfrom among the groups of at least one device setting. In one example,the first group of the at least one device setting defines at least onetemperature setting for the HVAC system for one or more months that isselected based on the at least one setting characteristic, e.g., definesone or more settings for of the HVAC system for the summer months basedon the setting characteristic of a geographic location of controller 12.

Processing circuitry 24 is configured to receive a second group of atleast one device setting for controlling premises device 14. In one ormore embodiments, the second group of at least one device setting isreceived from a user via a user device and/or server 20. In one or moreembodiments, the second group of at least one device setting includesvarious device settings for at least one premises device 14 in whicheach device setting corresponds to one or more setting characteristics.

For example, the second group of at least one device setting may includevarious device settings, e.g., operational settings, for a heating,ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) premises devices 14 that arepart of a HVAC system. The one or more device settings for the HVACpremises devices 14 may each correspond to one or more settingcharacteristics. In one or more embodiments, the one or more settingcharacteristics are used to select among the groups of at least onedevice settings, and include one or more of a location of controller 12,one or more calendar dates, other weather data such as forecastinformation, data related to annual seasons, among other data thatcontroller 12 may receive from server 20 and/or determine. In oneexample, the second group of at least one device setting defines atleast one temperature setting for the HVAC system for one or more monthsthat is selected based at least one setting characteristic, e.g.,defines one or more device settings for of the HVAC system for thewinter months based on the setting characteristic of the geographicallylocation of controller 12.

In one or more embodiments, the first group of at least one devicesetting is different from the second group of at least one devicesetting. For example, the first group of at least one device setting forcontrolling the premises device includes a first monthly temperaturesetting, and the second group of at least one device setting forcontrolling the premises device includes a second monthly temperaturesetting. In one or more embodiments, the first group of at least onedevice setting for controlling premises device 14 includes a firstseasonal setting and the second group of at least one device setting forcontrolling premises device 14 includes a second seasonal settingdifferent from the first seasonal setting. In one or more embodiments,the seasonal setting includes at least one device setting that isimplemented for a predefined time, e.g., months. In one or moreembodiments, the seasonal setting includes at least one setting that isimplemented for a period of time, e.g., months, that is determined basedon at least one setting characteristics determined from received weatherdata. In one or more embodiments, at least one of the group of at leastone device setting for controlling premises device 14 and the secondgroup of at least one device setting for controlling premises device 14,is received from a user via one or more inputs of controller 12 and/orvia one or more servers 20. In one or more embodiments, the devicesettings are stored in memory 28. In one or more embodiments, each groupof at least one device setting corresponds to a respective user scene inwhich each user scene is a predefined configuration for controllingpremises device 14. Each user scene may be triggered for controllingpremises device 14 if one or more setting characteristics are met.

In one or more embodiments, processing circuitry 24 is configured todetermine at least setting characteristic. For example, in one or moreembodiments, the at least setting characteristic is a geographicallocation of controller 12. The geographical location of the controller12 may be determined based on location data received from server 20,thereby allowing controller 12 to dynamically select from among groupsof at least one device setting for controlling premises device 14. Forexample, using geographic location of controller 12 allows controller 12to select from among different groups of at least one device setting fora HVAC system where the temperature in Massachusetts is significantlydifferent from temperature in South Florida. Therefore, respectivegroups of at least one device setting may be selected by respectivecontrollers 12 located at different geographic locations.

In one or more embodiments, the at least one setting characteristic is acalendar date that may be determined based on data, e.g., weather data,received from one or more server 20, thereby allowing controller 12 todynamically select from among groups of at least one device setting forcontrolling at least one premises device 14. For example, by taking intoconsideration a calendar date such when the determination of thecalendar date is made by controller 12, controller 12 is able to selectfrom among different groups of at least one setting for a HVAC systemwhere the outside temperature may vary based on calendar date. Further,in one or more embodiments, the selected group of at least one devicesetting for a HVAC system includes at least one device setting for atleast one other premises device 14 or other type of premises device 14.Therefore, respective groups of at least setting should be selected bycontroller 12 based on calendar date.

Other setting characteristics may be determined based on data receivedfrom one or more servers 20 and/or received from one or more devices incommunication with controller 12. In one or more embodiments, processingcircuitry 24 selects between the first group of at least one devicesetting for controlling premises device 14 and the second group of atleast one device setting for controlling premises device 14, based onthe determined at least one setting characteristic. For example, in oneor more embodiments, the selection between the first group of at leastone device setting for controlling premises device 14 and the secondgroup of at least one device setting for controlling premises devices14, is based on the calendar date. In one or more embodiments, theselection between the first group of at least one device setting forcontrolling premises device 14 and the second group of at least onedevice setting for controlling premises device 14, being based thedetermined at least one month during which at least one season is tobegin.

In one or more embodiments, processing circuitry 24 is configured tocause transceiver 22 to transmit a control signal to control premisesdevice 14 using the selected plurality of device settings. Controlsignal includes one or more control signals that are transmitted to oneor more premises devices 14 for controlling the one or more premisesdevices 14 according to the selected group of at least one devicesetting. For example, in one embodiment, processing circuitry 24 selectsa group of at least one device setting corresponding to a predefined“winter” setting based on a at least one setting characteristic such asa determined calendar date in which a control signal is transmitted topremises device 14, e.g., HVAC device, for controlling the premisesdevice according to the predefined winter setting. Other settings forcontrolling premises device 14 are discussed herein.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary interface 30 for inputting thedevice settings for controlling premises device 14 in accordance withthe principles of the invention. In one or more embodiments, interface30 is a software application operating on a user device or other devicecapable of operating/executing the software application. Interface 30includes various configurable settings such as days, times, modes, etc.Further, interface 30 includes section 32 that is configured to allow auser to input one or more groups of at least one device setting forselection based on one or more setting characteristics as describedherein. For example, in one or more embodiments, section 32 of interface30 allows a user to input the first group of at least one device settingfor controlling the premises device 14 and input the second group of atleast one device setting for controlling the premises device 14. In oneor more embodiments, section 32 allows a user to indicate one or moreseasons and/or months, i.e., one or more groups of at least one devicesetting, for triggering the one or more device settings, i.e., userscenes.

Controller 12 advantageously provides for dynamic selection from amonggroups of at least one device setting based on one or more settingcharacteristics. Therefore, controller 12 advantageously takes intoconsideration one or setting characteristics associated with controller12 for dynamically selecting among groups of at least one device settingwithout the need for a user to manually adjust premise devices 14.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of controller 12in accordance with the principles of the invention. Controller 12includes settings module 34 that is configured to perform the settingsprocess as described above with respect to settings code 18. Controller12 includes transceiver module 36 that is configured to transmit acontrol signal to control premises device 14 using the selectedplurality of settings, as discussed above with respect to Block S108.

While the invention has been generally described with respect to an HVACsystem, the teachings of the disclosure are equally applicable to othersystems and/or devices are that controllable using one or moresystem/device settings.

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the conceptsdescribed herein may be embodied as a method, system and controller.Accordingly, the concepts described herein may take the form of anentirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects all generallyreferred to herein as a “circuit” or “module.” Furthermore, thedisclosure may take the form of a computer program product on anon-transitory tangible computer usable storage medium having computerprogram code embodied in the medium that can be executed by a computer.Any suitable tangible computer readable medium may be utilized includinghard disks, CD-ROMs, electronic storage devices, optical storagedevices, or magnetic storage devices.

Some embodiments are described herein with reference to flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, systems and computerprogram products. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer (to therebycreate a special purpose computer), special purpose computer, or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such thatthe instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer orother programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable memory or storage medium that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablememory produce an article of manufacture including instruction meanswhich implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer orother programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series ofoperational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmableapparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that theinstructions which execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

It is to be understood that the functions/acts noted in the blocks mayoccur out of the order noted in the operational illustrations. Forexample, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executedsubstantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed inthe reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.Although some of the diagrams include arrows on communication paths toshow a primary direction of communication, it is to be understood thatcommunication may occur in the opposite direction to the depictedarrows.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the conceptsdescribed herein may be written in an object oriented programminglanguage such as Java® or C++. However, the computer program code forcarrying out operations of the disclosure may also be written inconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer. In the latter scenario, theremote computer may be connected to the user's computer through a localarea network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection maybe made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet usingan Internet Service Provider).

Many different embodiments have been disclosed herein, in connectionwith the above description and the drawings. It will be understood thatit would be unduly repetitious and obfuscating to literally describe andillustrate every combination and subcombination of these embodiments.Accordingly, all embodiments can be combined in any way and/orcombination, and the present specification, including the drawings,shall be construed to constitute a complete written description of allcombinations and subcombinations of the embodiments described herein,and of the manner and process of making and using them, and shallsupport claims to any such combination or subcombination.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the disclosureis not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, itshould be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale.A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of theabove teachings without departing from the scope of the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A controller for a premises system, thecontroller comprising: processing circuitry configured to: receive aplurality of system setting groups for controlling a plurality ofpremises devices, each system setting group including at least onerespective device setting for each of the plurality of premises devices;determine at least one setting characteristic, the at least one settingcharacteristic including a calendar date; select one of the plurality ofsystem settings groups for controlling the plurality of premises devicesbased on the determined at least one setting characteristic; and atransceiver configured to transmit a control signal to each of theplurality of premises devices to control the plurality of premisesdevices according to the selected one of the plurality of system settinggroups.
 2. The controller of claim 1, wherein the determined at leastone setting characteristic includes a geographical location of thecontroller, the selected one of the plurality of system setting groupsbeing based on the determined geographical location of the controller.3. The controller of claim 1, wherein a first system settings group ofthe plurality of system setting groups for controlling the plurality ofpremises devices includes a first monthly temperature setting for atleast one the plurality of premises devices; and a second systemsettings group of the plurality of system settings groups forcontrolling the plurality of premises devices includes a second monthlytemperature setting for at least one of the plurality of premisesdevices, the second monthly temperature setting being different from thefirst monthly temperature setting.
 4. The controller of claim 1, whereineach of the plurality of system setting groups correspond to arespective seasonal setting.
 5. The controller of claim 1, wherein thedetermined at least one setting characteristic includes a geographicallocation of the controller, a weather forecast associated with thedetermined geographical location and the calendar date during which aseason is to begin; and the selected one of the plurality of systemsetting groups being based on the determined geographical location ofthe controller, the weather forecast associated with the determinedgeographical location and the calendar date during which the season isto begin.
 6. The controller of the claim 1, wherein the selected one ofthe plurality of system setting groups includes at least one devicesetting for a heating and air condition (HVAC) system and at least onedevice setting for ceiling fan at a premises.
 7. The controller of theclaim 1, wherein the selected one of the plurality of system settinggroups includes at least one device setting for a heating and aircondition (HVAC) system and at least one device setting for at least onehome automation device.
 8. The controller of the claim 1, wherein theselected one of the plurality of system setting groups includes at leastone device setting for an appliance at a premises and at least onedevice setting for at least one light fixture at the premises.
 9. Thecontroller of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is furtherconfigured to receive weather forecast data, the selected one of theplurality of system setting groups being based on the received weatherforecast data.
 10. A method for a controller for a premises system, themethod comprising: receiving a plurality of system setting groups forcontrolling a plurality of premises devices, each system setting groupincluding at least one respective device setting for each of theplurality of premises devices; determining at least one settingcharacteristic, the at least one setting characteristic including acalendar date; selecting one of the plurality of system settings groupsfor controlling the plurality of premises devices based on thedetermined at least one setting characteristic; and transmitting acontrol signal to each of the plurality of premises devices to controlthe plurality of premises devices according to the selected one of theplurality of system setting groups.
 11. The method of claim 10, whereinthe determined at least one setting characteristic includes ageographical location of the controller, the selected one of theplurality of system setting groups being based on the determinedgeographical location of the controller.
 12. The method of claim 10,wherein a first system settings group of the plurality of system settinggroups for controlling the plurality of premises devices includes afirst monthly temperature setting for at least one the plurality ofpremises devices; and a second system settings group of the plurality ofsystem settings groups for controlling the plurality of premises devicesincludes a second monthly temperature setting for at least one of theplurality of premises devices, the second monthly temperature settingbeing different from the first monthly temperature setting.
 13. Themethod of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of system settinggroups correspond to a respective seasonal setting.
 14. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the determined at least one setting characteristicincludes a geographical location of the controller, a weather forecastassociated with the determined geographical location and the calendardate during which a season is to begin; and the selected one of theplurality of system setting groups being based on the determinedgeographical location of the controller, the weather forecast associatedwith the determined geographical location and the calendar date duringwhich the season is to begin.
 15. The method of the claim 10, whereinthe selected one of the plurality of system setting groups includes atleast one device setting for a heating and air condition (HVAC) systemand at least one device setting for ceiling fan at a premises.
 16. Themethod of the claim 10, wherein the selected one of the plurality ofsystem setting groups includes at least one device setting for a heatingand air condition (HVAC) system and at least one device setting for atleast one home automation device.
 17. The method of the claim 10,wherein the selected one of the plurality of system setting groupsincludes at least one device setting for an appliance at a premises andat least one device setting for at least one light fixture at thepremises.
 18. The method of claim 10, further comprising receivingweather forecast data, the selected one of the plurality of systemsetting groups being based on the received weather forecast data.
 19. Acontroller for a premises system, the controller comprising: processingcircuitry configured to: receive a plurality of system setting groupsfor controlling a plurality of different types of premises devices, eachsystem setting group corresponding to a respective seasonal setting andincluding at least one respective device setting for each of theplurality of different types of premises devices; determine at least onesetting characteristic, the at least one setting characteristicincluding a calendar date and geographical location of the controller;select one of the plurality of system settings groups for controllingthe plurality of different types of premises devices based on thedetermined at least one setting characteristic; and a transceiverconfigured to transmit a control signal to each of the plurality ofdifferent types of premises devices to control the plurality ofdifferent types of premises devices according to the selected one of theplurality of system setting groups.
 20. The controller of claim 19,wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to receiveweather forecast data, the selected one of the plurality of systemsetting groups being based on the received weather forecast data.